A new play area for children, which includes equipment never seen before in Britain, has opened in Kidlington.

The £30,000 Crazy Colosseum, at the Kidlington and Gosford Sports Centre, has a ball pool accessed by a slide, a ball cannon, wavy mirrors and a three-storey high spider's web.

Graham Bleach, a manager at the centre, said: "People have been crying out for this kind of thing. The response so far has been incredible."

He is pictured, above, with assistant manager Joanne Jones, Charlotte Aust, eight, and Dylan Peake, two.

Picture: Jon Lewis